Japan-Zentrum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München organize a series of lectures under the framework “Japan and International Migration: Recent Developments, Emerging Dynamics“. The above mentioned lecture will come on;

Montag, 31. Mai 2021, 14.00 Uhr – 15.00 Uhr

Assoc. Prof. Ryoko Yamamoto, PhD

Here are details of the lecture and lecturer’s biography.

Exit Through the Narrow Gate: Compartmentalized Internationalization and Global Talents in Japan

In a thriving knowledge economy, universities around the world see international students as a key element in their survival and growth, while employers eye on them as a talent pool gathered from around the world. Japanese universities and business leaders are no exception. However, despite Japan’s efforts in recruiting international students and channeling them into a local labor market, their post-graduation “stay rate” stagnates. Drawing on ethnographic research and policy document analysis, Yamamoto argues that the discordance in approaches to international students in higher education and the labor market contributes to inefficiencies in retaining foreign talents. Japan’s academic internationalization, led by the MEXT, aims to raise the prominence of Japanese universities in the global academe and world rankings through enhanced research activities and better alignment with the global standards. In this context, elite universities have expanded English- based degree programs and bilingual administrative support, creating cosmopolitan “international bubbles” on Japanese campuses. Meanwhile, Japanese employers view international graduates as liaisons between Japanese headquarters and overseas markets or a supplemental source of labor in a rapidly aging society. As such, Japanese language proficiency and the adaptability to Japanese workplace remain to be decisive factors in hiring decisions. Upon entering a post-graduation job market, international students find themselves caught between the internationalized campus life and assimilationist expectations associated with employment opportunities.

Ryoko Yamamoto is Associate Professor of Sociology at SUNY Old Westbury, where she also serves as Co-Director of Academic Assessment. Her research interests focus on international migration and social stratification in contemporary Japan and her sociological curiosity is often drawn to processes of boundary-making, boundary-breaking and societal reactions to boundary-breaking. Her published works explore issues such as the immigration control and crime control nexus, the criminalization of foreigners in public discourses, as well as migrant-support activism in Japan. Her current research project investigates the intersection of education migration and labor migration from a life course perspective. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Sophia University, MA in Sociology from University of Missouri-Columbia, and Ph.D in Sociology from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She is a 2016 Abe Fellow.

About the lecture series and registration

This lecture series offers insights into current scholarly works on the topic of “Japan and International Migration”. Scholars based at universities and research institutes in Japan, Europe and the US address recent developments and emerging dynamics in the field. These include an acceleration and diversification of international migration flows with Japan increasingly on the map as a country of destination. Talks will provide insights into how the increase of migration flows to (and in some cases from) Japan, shapes and challenges Japanese society, political negotiation processes, and the nation’s economic outlook. Moreover, insights into the history of Japan’s approach to international migration as well as case studies on Japanese overseas diasporas will be provided.

Organizer: Prof. Dr. Gabriele Vogt

Mondays, 2pm-3pm (CEST), 9pm-10pm (JST), 8am-9am (EDT)

The lectures will be conducted via Zoom. You are kindly requested to register with Zoom in advance.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://lmu-munich.zoom.us/j/92309246995?pwd=S0JXVXQrNS9ZR3dxdmFWNE5CZDVpdz09

Meeting ID: 923 0924 6995
Passcode: 356365